De rel rond om 38 Studios heb ik jullie maar bespaard, want waar het in het kort op neer kwam is dat de hele studio failliet is door slechte deals en belasting voordeel over Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning. Een game die overigens wereldwijd door gamers en de pers goed is ontvangen. Zoals al te verwachten was, voor dat 38 studios de deuren moest sluiten, waren ze al bezig met het vervolg die er nu helaas nooit meer zal komen.

Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning 2 was in "pre-production" at 38 Studios' Big Huge Games in Maryland before all employees were let go last week. Several sources with knowledge of the situation tell Joystiq that the company was in advanced talks with a publisher before the events that led to the dissolution of the team.

Even if the Big Huge Games team could be salvaged under a different banner, it is unlikely that they could work on Reckoning 2. The intellectual property, tech and code (the latter used as a springboard) required to make a sequel is still owned by 38 Studios for the time being, but will likely soon be owned by the state of Rhode Island. Sources close to discussions with Rhode Island tell us that the state's asking price to release assets is too high.

Elements tested for the sequel were higher graphics quality across the board, no loading screens between zones, expanded and improved combat animations, fewer branching quests and greater effect on the world by players.

"We had a good base to work from, and it was going to be all about improving everything," said a source who asked to remain anonymous, given that there's still the slightest chance the project could be salvaged. "We listened carefully to fans and critics and were going to implement everything we possibly could."